The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1887-09-30
Thirty Minutes in Elmer.

Not one in the group of idlers at the
railroad depot at Elmer on Saturday after
noon recognized the reporter when he
stepped on the platform after a two miles
walk. A couple of kissing, painting en-
gines stood side by side at the station but
they soon moved away, II pulling a long
train of freight cars while the other ran
down on a siding to wait for the arrival of
a southern-bound train. Not far in the
distance stands three factories. | asked
a boy what kind of work was being done
there and he said that one was Cuttings
foundry and spindle factory and the others
were shoe factories. | had thirty minutes
to wait for the departure of the train upon
which | would take passage. In a few
minutes the reporter was in the nearest
factory talking with the proprietor, Mr..
Getting, whose hands and clothes showed
that he performed an equal share of the
grimy work. The noisiest machine in the
building is the forge hammer, where the
spindles are first wrought into shape.
They are eighteen inches long, slender and
pointed, with a grooved wheel near the
heavy end. These spindles pass through
several hands before they are ready for
shipment. Six hundred are put in one
machine and they make twelve thousand
revolutions a minute. Among the spindle
polisherS and finishers the writer recog.
nized Jacob Urion, a former resident of
Woodstown who kept the old store near
the mill pond. Mr.. Urion has been en-
ployed in the factory nearly two year. Mr..
Getting says he melts up 1900 pounds of
iron for castings every other day, and is
filling orders for machines of different
kinds for a number of business firms.
Taking a path running diagonally across
an open lot l had gone but a few steps
when the steam whistle at the shoe factory
blew and | knew work was suspended.
But went on, determined, if possible, to
see what could of what | nave heard so
much about-a shoe factory. The oper-
atives, young men and girls, were hurrying
off to their respective homes. On the door
was the following notice: "Wanted-
learners; male" "Have you any OBJ
jections to my going up stairs and looking
around?" the writer asked of a young
man who was about to start away. sob,
no sir, but you can't see see much now;
the machines are not running" | started
up stairs and the young man followed,
evidently to show me around, and he did.
The advertisement on the door prompted
the reporter to ask, "How long does it take
to learn to make shoes?" 'Six weeks be-
fore you get any pay Scan the whole
business be learned in that timer mo.
Hardly anybody ever learns it ALL" /
was kindly shown the numerous different
machines and their uses. A handsome
looking man of twenty-five or thirty years
of age, hearing our conversation, thus
spoke up: ''There isn't one in a thousand
who ever learns the whole business of
making shoes by machinery. have work
ed at the business ever since | was old
enough to handle 4 shoe inc | only under
stand three branches" Fastening back
to the depot | had Just time enoughao
speak and clasp hands with an old ac-
quaintance, in tho person of Wilmer Bar
Der, whose store is just across the street.
Mr.. Barber has been located in Elmer
thirteen years. Now if any of Woods
towns young men desire TO work in a shoe
factory there is now a chance at Elmer to
learn a branch of the business. Our adj
vice to every sol and daughter in the land
is, learn a trade. If you don't want TO
work on shoes, learn to make something
else-but by all means, learn a trade.
''All aboardl' cries the conductor. The
bell clangs, the train moves slowly ont
from the station and We are 500 miles
away from Elmer.